ASTER GDEM
Gov-Public
A 30m global DEM reaching to 83° latitude — the go-to where SRTM/NASADEM have no coverage at all.
ALOS World 3D (AW3D30)
StableJAXA's 30m global DSM from PRISM stereo imagery — a strong third opinion alongside SRTM and Copernicus DEM.
by JAXA
- Pricing
- Free
- License
- Free for any use after registration (JAXA terms of use)
- Commercial use
- Permitted
- Ecosystem
- GDAL, Any GIS, Google Earth Engine
- Platform
- Windows, macOS, Linux
About ALOS World 3D (AW3D30)
AW3D30 is JAXA's global digital surface model built from ALOS PRISM stereo imagery collected 2006–2011, gridded at 1 arc-second (~30m) and released free of charge for any use after simple registration. Independent evaluations consistently rank it competitively with — and in some forested/mountainous terrain, ahead of — SRTM and Copernicus DEM.
It's a useful cross-check DEM for terrain-sensitive studies (dam-break, steep-catchment delineation) where comparing two independent global models against local survey control is worth the extra download.
Where it fits in the workflow
TerrainCatchmentRainfallRunoffRoutingHydraulicsMappingReporting
Alternatives to ALOS World 3D (AW3D30)
Ranked by the topics, categories and workflow stages they share with ALOS World 3D (AW3D30).
Browser tool for estimating point terrain elevations globally by address, coordinates, or map click.
Copernicus DEM (GLO-30 / GLO-90)
Gov-Public
ESA's TanDEM-X-derived global DEM — the most accurate free global surface model available today.
FABDEM
Academic-only
Copernicus DEM with forests and buildings stripped out — the bare-earth DEM flood and drainage models actually want.
NASADEM
Gov-Public
SRTM reprocessed with modern algorithms and merged with ASTER/ICESat — a quiet accuracy upgrade, same footprint.
SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)
Gov-Public
The original free global DEM — 30m/90m elevation from an 11-day shuttle radar mission, still a baseline today.